Thursday, November 3, 2011

Dear anyone who wants to find beautiful, one of a kind Christmas gifts AND help a wonderful organization at the same time,

The Mothers Without Borders 6th Annual Charity Boutique

will be held this year on November 4th and 5th

at the Greek Orthodox Church in downtown Salt Lake City, Utah.

In the past, the Boutiques have raised thousands of dollars for orphans in Zambia. These events feature handmade crafts and goods that are donated from local Utah crafters as well as beautiful treasures made by the orphans, women, and craftsman of Zambia. {That's one of my favorite parts.} The Boutique is organized by Mothers Without Borders volunteers who generously give their time and talents. The Boutique organizers recognize that the event offers Zambians an incredible opportunity to sell their goods with 100% of the profits returning to their communities. Each piece comes with a story and many of the handmade pieces come with a photo of the artisan.

This year renowned Christian artist Liz Lemon Swindle will be in attendance to sign copies of her African Painting "Worth of a Soul". All proceeds from the sale of "Worth of a Soul" are donated to Mothers Without Borders. Also our Zambian Program Director, Josephine Daka, will be available to talk about her work with Mothers Without Borders & answer questions. Josephine joined the Church in 1996, and has served as Primary President in her branch for the past 6 years. She is truly a modern day pioneer!

MY personal favorite thing about supporting the boutique each year is that it makes it possible for me to give my friends and loved ones unique, wonderful gifts while ALSO knowing that the purchase of each gift creates a better life for children in Zambia. Win, win. Yay!

Mothers Without Borders was started by Kathy Headlee Miner in 1992 in response to the global orphan crisis. Since it's inception MWB has worked in Romania, India, Bolivia, Honduras, Ecuador, Mexico, Zambia, Indonesia, Zimbabwe, Madagascar, Guatemala, Northern Uganda, Sudan and the US.

MWB is now focusing their efforts in Africa, with regional Headquarters in Lusaka, Zambia. According to the UN Report on Orphans and Vulnerable Children there are more than 147 million orphans around the world, and every day more than 6,100 children lose a parent to AIDS. Mothers Without Borders is addressing the crisis by:

1. Strengthening Families by helping them improve food production, increase income and job skills, AIDS awareness, education and prevention.
2. Empowering Women through literacy and education, skills training, micro credit loans and stipends for those willing to raise orphans as their own.
3. Protecting Children found in child headed households by providing them with a safe place to live, clean water and food, grief counseling, education, HIV awareness, medical care, skills training and caring adults to encourage and guide them.

In addition to the Zambian program staff that MWB employs, we also coordinate volunteer expeditions and currently about 100 volunteers take advantage of this opportunity annually. Volunteers typically:

• Visit a 'typical' hospital and the unit that cares for pre-mature babies. Follow
and learn from a home-based care
worker as she visits TB and AIDS patients in their humble homes in the outskirts of the capital city.
• Help with simple construction, i.e. one room schools, poultry houses, dormitories & village homes. Dig trenches, make mud bricks, and clear farm land at our Family Resource Center.
• Share life skills with orphans living at the MWB Children’s Resource Center. Work in the garden with the
caregivers and children. Sing, dance & play with the children.
• Assist our able staff as they teach AIDS awareness and prevention to widows and orphans.
• Teach sewing, knitting, crocheting and other simple skills.
• Assist with health screenings in a local village.

So anyway - go visit the boutique this weekend! Take your mom. Meet up with girlfriends. You will love it.